Oscar Wao

This book is about storytelling. It's told in the earnest, authentic vernacular of a Dominican immigrant with a flair for urban slang and science fiction allusions. Poorly executed, such a voice would come across as gimmicky and ineffective, but Junot Diaz assures that the narration is both heartfelt and real.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao chronicles the tragic love story of Oscar de Leon, as well as the cursed fortunes of his ancestors. While Oscar is the focal point of the novel, the story interweaves the heartbreaking tales his elders who endured great suffering under the despotic regime of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.

A few things:

• Rafael Trujillo was a ruthless dictator that ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. I'm sorry to say that I knew very little about La Era de Trujillo despite the nation's proximity and the fact that I have many Dominican friends. His regime was a classic cult of personality.
• The historical perspective coupled with a conversational tone create a rich and personal history of Oscar's family. Effectively, the reader feels the weight of three generations of anguish culminate with Oscar's demise. Very moving.
• I loved the fantasy and sci-fi allusions. Some of them I didn't get, but most of them were very effective. Diaz described a character as "taking Gollum-like pity" on somebody.

A worthy winner of last year's Pulitzer Prize for Literature.